Friends, any idea as to the identity of the man standing next to Masetti on the right, with his leathers top off ? The picture was posted on the french pitlane-biz forum but mistery not solved ... I suspect it may be a Brit ( Les Graham , or our much missed Terry Shep ? ) Does anyone know, please ?

Russell, I last saw the Barnes Guzzi at Pukekohe about three years ago when the Mike Braid Nortons were out there and it certainly wasn't parading, Trevor was racing it hard. I had a good look round it as I'd met good old Arthur Wheeler a couple of times when he was out in Sydney racing and had spoken to him about the bike then, so it was good to get a look round it. Impressive logic from that time, and worth a squizz if you get the opportunity.

BTW, Arthur Wheeler was great value even then, used to still drink beer in pints and when my friends and I were getting home to the Blacktown Travelodge one evening on race weekend around 10pm, Arthur and John Kidson were hailing a taxi to head out to Kings' Cross for a few more ! What a lad.

Friends, any idea as to the identity of the man standing next to Masetti on the right, with his leathers top off ? The picture was posted on the french pitlane-biz forum but mistery not solved ... I suspect it may be a Brit ( Les Graham , or our much missed Terry Shep ? ) Does anyone know, please ?

Russell, I last saw the Barnes Guzzi at Pukekohe about three years ago when the Mike Braid Nortons were out there and it certainly wasn't parading, Trevor was racing it hard. I had a good look round it as I'd met good old Arthur Wheeler a couple of times when he was out in Sydney racing and had spoken to him about the bike then, so it was good to get a look round it. Impressive logic from that time, and worth a squizz if you get the opportunity.

BTW, Arthur Wheeler was great value even then, used to still drink beer in pints and when my friends and I were getting home to the Blacktown Travelodge one evening on race weekend around 10pm, Arthur and John Kidson were hailing a taxi to head out to Kings' Cross for a few more ! What a lad.

Yes, lovely looking thing. I'm pretty certain I saw Trevor on it when I was a kid - the Palace I think.

Blimey, Blacktown to the cross - didn't get too many fares like that when I was a Sydney cab driver.

Russell, I last saw the Barnes Guzzi at Pukekohe about three years ago when the Mike Braid Nortons were out there and it certainly wasn't parading, Trevor was racing it hard. I had a good look round it as I'd met good old Arthur Wheeler a couple of times when he was out in Sydney racing and had spoken to him about the bike then, so it was good to get a look round it. Impressive logic from that time, and worth a squizz if you get the opportunity.

BTW, Arthur Wheeler was great value even then, used to still drink beer in pints and when my friends and I were getting home to the Blacktown Travelodge one evening on race weekend around 10pm, Arthur and John Kidson were hailing a taxi to head out to Kings' Cross for a few more ! What a lad.

yes , Paul , I did notice that , am I right in thinking one or 2 classes changed the colour of the roundals about then ??

A confusing one, 107 is on senior plates, looking at the numbers they appear to be starting partners, and I doubt its a practice shot as I dont thnk they ran side numbers in practice back then.

Was there ever a sub class within the senior on different plates?

The front plates were changed to white for all classes a bit earlier but only for Brit races, at least that's what my memory's telling me. I don't understand the all white plates either, gents. I wonder if the less than crisp image and more than slightly dodgy colour is deceiving us?

I'd say so, Gra. He'd have been ticking on a bit, even then, and I know he was on a flyer in the 1964 250 TT until he fired the Guzzi up the road. But in latter years he also rode a Honda successfully in that F3 class that ran for a while,in fact I think he may have won a TT, and the striping on the leathers in your pic resembles the Mocheck Honda race patterns of the mid-seventies. He was actually pretty ropey about that 1964 TT, because if you recall there were very few finishers that year, and he had hopes of a good result. He crashed the Guzzi, and was kicking footrests etc straight when a panting marshal arrived to check he was ok, and asked John to track the movement of the fingers of his hand, left and right, to check for concussion. John has a glass eye, and when he failed to pass the rather dubious tracking test, the no-doubt well-intentioned marshal wouldn't let him rejoin ! Grrrrrr A sad case, but a ripping yarn !

Yes, that's right. Poor old Arthur actually died from septicaemia, a result of an apparently-innocuous scratch he received on the back of his hand from colliding with a faster bike tipping into turn one, lap one at Eastern Creek racing a 250 Ducati. He went to his doctor after it failed to heal, and the doctor told him to go home, silly old bugger, and stop being such a softie. It was Barnes I saw at Pukekohe about three years ago. BTW I used to pedal a cab in Sydney as well in 1979/80, an interesting occupation!

the striping on the leathers in your pic resembles the Mocheck Honda race patterns of the mid-seventies.

Those leathers were from the 'Hondastyle' clothing range which was around in the mid 70's when I worked for a Honda dealer, I remember we stocked the leathers, paddock jackets, gloves, boots, helmets etc, personally I always thought they looked horrible but we seemed to sell plenty of it.

Yes, that's right. Poor old Arthur actually died from septicaemia, a result of an apparently-innocuous scratch he received on the back of his hand from colliding with a faster bike tipping into turn one, lap one at Eastern Creek racing a 250 Ducati. He went to his doctor after it failed to heal, and the doctor told him to go home, silly old bugger, and stop being such a softie. It was Barnes I saw at Pukekohe about three years ago. BTW I used to pedal a cab in Sydney as well in 1979/80, an interesting occupation!

I recall reading about the injury but didn't realise it had happened in an incident over there. Blimey, what rotten luck.

I might have driven my first shift around 1980. Who did you work for, Glenn? I worked mainly out of the Taxis Combined base at Paddington. Yeah crap job in so many ways.

Without wishing to derail the thread, I did my ticket at that base, then drove a Combined cab for Bob Vickers (Trenway ) on the North Shore. Went back to Paddington base a few times to get my radio jazzed up to be competitive with the "bid" system installed in those days. I drove mainly 832 an XB Falcon, and 1120 and 7743 which were Holdens, and used to regularly knock up 400km in a 12-hour shift, big mileage considering it was all done round the city, if you factor in red lights, waiting on ranks, meal breaks etc.
Phil Leslie the RG500 racer worked at the Combined base, then years later in 1987 I came across him again up north in Karratha, 1000 miles north of Perth, working as a crane dogman. At that time I was just getting going in the classic racing and my infectious enthusiasm (well,obsession !) caused him to start getting itchy for a ride again after having been happily retired for a number of years, tee-hee...

Without wishing to derail the thread, I did my ticket at that base, then drove a Combined cab for Bob Vickers (Trenway ) on the North Shore. Went back to Paddington base a few times to get my radio jazzed up to be competitive with the "bid" system installed in those days. I drove mainly 832 an XB Falcon, and 1120 and 7743 which were Holdens, and used to regularly knock up 400km in a 12-hour shift, big mileage considering it was all done round the city, if you factor in red lights, waiting on ranks, meal breaks etc. Phil Leslie the RG500 racer worked at the Combined base, then years later in 1987 I came across him again up north in Karratha, 1000 miles north of Perth, working as a crane dogman. At that time I was just getting going in the classic racing and my infectious enthusiasm (well,obsession !) caused him to start getting itchy for a ride again after having been happily retired for a number of years, tee-hee...

You skillfuly wove a bike reference into the piece Glenn, so you're safe. Oh a radio booster, aye. I once got told to ring the supervisor - something I did not infrequently - for allegedly having a super boosted radio and blasting everyone off the operator's panel on one particularly juicy job. I think that was 4477, a Paddo base cab - definitely unboosted. When it was quiet I used to sit at the top of the cross. I recall some of your plate numbers - weird how it stays in your head.

Sydneysider, Bob Brown famouly pushed a cab, I wonder if he worked out of the Paddo base? See what I did there....

Shot from the hip....Duke's Gilera during his SA/Rhodesia visit early '57 ??

I think you may have hit the nail on the hooter Rennmax. I once visited South Africa and I seem to recall the registration plate, ND was for the city of Durban. That definitely looks like the Gilera in the back of the Dodge, and as Geoff never rode in Durban on account of there not being a track there I don't think, I'd say it was 1957 at the nearby Roy Hesketh circuit where I seem to recall he rode.

I think you may have hit the nail on the hooter Rennmax. I once visited South Africa and I seem to recall the registration plate, ND was for the city of Durban. That definitely looks like the Gilera in the back of the Dodge, and as Geoff never rode in Durban on account of there not being a track there I don't think, I'd say it was 1957 at the nearby Roy Hesketh circuit where I seem to recall he rode.

Good guess, this is Duke's Gilera arriving in Port Elizabeth for the PE 200 race of January 1957, apparently the bike was meant to be off loaded in Cape Town but went on to Durban and then was driven down to Port Elizabeth.I think Geoff Duke won all the races he rode in, I recall hearing the Gilera at Hesketh as the crowd was so big that to get close to the fence was impossible, my Uncle put me on his shoulders to try and see but all I remember was the sound I was only 5 at the time but it is still with me.Peter

Good guess, this is Duke's Gilera arriving in Port Elizabeth for the PE 200 race of January 1957, apparently the bike was meant to be off loaded in Cape Town but went on to Durban and then was driven down to Port Elizabeth.I think Geoff Duke won all the races he rode in, I recall hearing the Gilera at Hesketh as the crowd was so big that to get close to the fence was impossible, my Uncle put me on his shoulders to try and see but all I remember was the sound I was only 5 at the time but it is still with me.Peter

Credit is all Rennmax's. I simply expanded on his comment. Any more of those pics pmbboy? They really are wonderful.

Hi,
I thought the Dave Chadwick picture would take a little guessing, well done all correct, the picture was taken at the Roy Hesketh circuit circa 1958 so would have been the SA tour of 57/58 for ecurie sportive.
cheers
Pete

Hi,I thought the Dave Chadwick picture would take a little guessing, well done all correct, the picture was taken at the Roy Hesketh circuit circa 1958 so would have been the SA tour of 57/58 for ecurie sportive.cheersPete

Stan Hailwood obviously thought a great deal of Dave, because he obviously chose Dave to show Mike the ropes. How good was he? I must confess, I don`t know much about Dave, other than he accompanied Mike to SA as a member of ES and that he subsequently lost his life in a racing accident. Anyone on here besides Peter see him race? Forgive me Peter, but you did say you were only five at the time so maybe your recollection of Dave is a bit sketchy?

Stan Hailwood obviously thought a great deal of Dave, because he obviously chose Dave to show Mike the ropes. How good was he? I must confess, I don`t know much about Dave, other than he accompanied Mike to SA as a member of ES and that he subsequently lost his life in a racing accident. Anyone on here besides Peter see him race? Forgive me Peter, but you did say you were only five at the time so maybe your recollection of Dave is a bit sketchy?

Hi,Yes I was a bit young to know how good he was but as you say Stan thought he was good enough to show Mike the ropes. I think Dave Cadwick came out to SA 3 time the first being the 56/57 tour with Duke and then 57/58 and 58/59 with Hailwood. My father got to know him on all these tours and I was in the very lucky position to see all these overseas riders as they often spent time at my parents house when they came to race at the Roy Hesketh circuit which was in our home town Pietermarizburg (PMB).I beleive Dave Chadwick was killed in 1959 in Belgium when a spectator ran across the road in front of him causing him to crash into a telegraph pole,what a waste of talent.

Hi,Yes I was a bit young to know how good he was but as you say Stan thought he was good enough to show Mike the ropes. I think Dave Cadwick came out to SA 3 time the first being the 56/57 tour with Duke and then 57/58 and 58/59 with Hailwood. My father got to know him on all these tours and I was in the very lucky position to see all these overseas riders as they often spent time at my parents house when they came to race at the Roy Hesketh circuit which was in our home town Pietermarizburg (PMB).I beleive Dave Chadwick was killed in 1959 in Belgium when a spectator ran across the road in front of him causing him to crash into a telegraph pole,what a waste of talent.

Stan Hailwood obviously thought a great deal of Dave, because he obviously chose Dave to show Mike the ropes. How good was he? I must confess, I don`t know much about Dave, other than he accompanied Mike to SA as a member of ES and that he subsequently lost his life in a racing accident. Anyone on here besides Peter see him race? Forgive me Peter, but you did say you were only five at the time so maybe your recollection of Dave is a bit sketchy?

Its nice to see someone Remembering Dave Chadwick Does anyone know where the cup is now. That mike put up in Daves memory As i was the first racer to Win it at Oulton Park. Den Ainsworth

Its nice to see someone Remembering Dave Chadwick Does anyone know where the cup is now. That mike put up in Daves memory As i was the first racer to Win it at Oulton Park. Den Ainsworth

Den I contacted the 'Mike the Bike web site on your behalf and they dont know either. See below just FYI.

Q 'Mikes friend and racer was Dave Chadwick who raced with him in his early years. Dave was killed in 1959 and Mike gave a trophy 'Dave Chadwick' trophy in honour of his friend. Do you have any idea of its whereabouts please?'

A 'To be honest, I don't know so have put the question out to a few knowledgeable people, and they don't know either. If I come up with something, then I will let you know'

With regards

Jeremy

Webmaster www.mikethebike.com

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